Xperia Z vs. Galaxy S3 vs. Droid DNA: Spec showdown

The Xperia Z is Sony’s latest flagship phone, a device it says will offer a “superphone experience.” Sony doesn’t have the greatest track record with smartphones, not necessarily pumping out horrible hardware, but not quite reaching number one either. With the Z, Sony hopes to change all that and place itself amongst the stars.

But if Sony means business about competing in the Android ecosystem, it will have to go head-to-head with the established kings of Google’s castle. Right now, that would be the best-selling Galaxy S3 and the super-sized, high-definition Droid DNA. So how does Sony’s latest flagship Android device compare to its peers? Take a gander at our spec sheet and see for yourself.

Xperia Z

Galaxy S3

Droid DNA

Size

139 x 71 x 7.9 (mm)

136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 (mm)

140.9 x 70.6 x 9.7 (mm)

Weight

146g

133g

140g

Screen

5-inch HD Reality Display

4.8-inch Super AMOLED

5-inch Super LCD 3

Resolution

1920×1080 pixels

1280×720 pixels

1920×1080 pixels

OS

Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Android 4.0 with TouchWiz UI

Android 4.1 with HTC Sense 4+

Storage

Up to 16GB

16/32GB

16GB

SD Card Slot

Yes

Yes

No

Processor

1.5GHz, quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro

Dual-core Snapdragon S4 (US)

1.5GHz, quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro

RAM

2GB

2GB

2GB

Connectivity

Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+

Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+

Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, EV-DO Rev.A

Camera

Front 2.1MP, Rear 13MP

Front 1.9MP, Rear 8MP

Front 2.1MP, Rear 8MP

Bluetooth

Yes, version 4.0

Yes, version 4.0

Yes, version 4.0

Battery

2330mAh

2100mAh

2020mAh

Charger

Micro USB

Micro USB

Micro USB

Marketplace

Google Play Store

Google Play Store

Google Play Store

Price

TBA

$200+

$200

Availability

TBA

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon

Verizon

Once all is said and done, the Xperia Z actually stacks up quite well against the competition. It pulls ahead of the Galaxy S3 in quite a few categories – understandable as the S3 is getting a bit old by now (at least by tech standards). As far as the Droid DNA, the Xperia Z matches the HTC device’s high-resolution display and quad-core processor. In terms of camera and battery life, however, the Xperia Z takes the lead. The camera is to be expected, especially with Sony’s intense focus on photography. Nevertheless, a slightly better camera and improved battery life doesn’t exactly blow the competition out of the water. As usual, only time will tell whether or not Sony can pull off the impossible and take the lead on the Android front.